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“I did. I had a huge shock and I didn’t think. Please, Talya,” he begged, “I really love her.”
Talya had sympathy written all over her face. “Then you’re not going to like what I have to tell you.” She looked up at the ceiling as though she was praying. “She’s going to kill me for telling you, but you need to know that at first we all thought she didn’t want you called because of what you said in Montana. It turned out she didn’t want you called because she didn’t want you to worry about her. You see, Yuri let it slip that you’d checked up on her daily, which told her you still cared and I guess, gave her hope.”
“Talya, I’m hearing you but I’m getting frustrated with you not telling me where she is.”
“She’s in the hospital, and has been for about a week.”
His heart missed a beat in his chest as fear clutched his heart.
Hospital?
“Hey, big guy,” Talya gripped his arm, “don’t pass out on me because I’ll have to let you fall. You know that, right?”
He nodded.
“Look, it all came to a head the other week in Poles, and she got shot.” She rushed on, “She’s hopefully able to come home in a couple of days. She’s doing well, Eric. Really well. But she misses you terribly. She still won’t let us call you.”
“I need some fresh air.” He darted back downstairs and out through the door, only to drop onto the top step.
The woman he loved had gotten shot and he’d had no idea. How could he have not known? Why does she always have to think about others before herself? If she had thought about herself then surely he would have been called. Wouldn’t he?
He felt Talya sit beside him, and her arm went around his shoulders. “She loves you. You know that, right?”
“I don’t anymore.”
“Don’t think like that. She does love you, otherwise she wouldn’t have wanted to protect you from finding out about her. If it was me, I’d have wanted you there to hold me, and I think she wanted you there but was too stubborn to ask.”
“Tell me what I should do?” he asked. “I’m seriously at a loss as to what to do. I want to be there for her. I want to be the one taking care of her when she comes home.” He never asked for help, but he’d never felt so lost before, either. “I need to see her, to hold her. I’m afraid I’ll only make things worse, though, if I turn up at the hospital.” He laughed but there was no amusement in his voice. “The woman I love is lying in a hospital and I’m worrying my sorry ass off that I’ll make things worse. As though being shot isn’t worse enough.”
“I know what you mean, and I think I have an idea,” Talya added.
He nodded.
“Good. Then you need to make sure you’re stocked up on food and juice. You’ll have to take her to her check up appointments, and basically look after her.”
“She’s coming home with me?” He hoped he hadn’t misread Talya’s instructions.
“She is.”
“When?” He had a better idea.
“I’ll find out today. In fact, I was on my way out when I fell into you. But you probably have two, maybe three, days.”
Could he do it? And would she be okay with a forty-minute drive straight out of the hospital?
“Will you let me pack all her things up from here?”
Talya gasped. “I didn’t mean for her to move in with you permanently.”
“That’s the only way it works for me, and we’re not moving into my apartment. That was leased and I’ve already told them I won’t be signing again. I love her, and I want her with me for the rest of our lives. She just doesn’t know that yet and I’d be really grateful if you wouldn’t mention anything.”
“Wow. I seriously hadn’t expected to lose my roommate when I got out of bed today.”
It was Eric’s turn to comfort Talya. “You know that you’ll be welcome to visit, anytime you want? And I mean that Talya. Don’t wait to be invited. You’re family to Sylvia, which means your invitation is permanently open.”
“Shit! Now you’ve made me cry.” She sniffled into a Kleenex. “If not your apartment, then where?”
Eric grinned.
